National Desk, 14th March: Union Home Minister Amit Shah provided clarity on the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Northeast regions, specifying that areas with special rights granted, such as those under the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and the 6th Schedule of the Constitution, will be exempt from the CAA. He emphasized that the CAA will be enforced in Assam and other parts of the country, reiterating that it is unrelated to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Shah asserted, “The NRC has no connection with the CAA. CAA will be implemented in Assam & other parts of the country. Only the States in the North East where two types of special rights have been granted, only those areas will not implement CAA. This includes the areas where there is a provision for the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and the areas that are granted special status under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution.”
Moreover, Amit Shah clarified that Muslims are eligible to apply for Indian citizenship under the CAA, emphasizing that the legislation does not discriminate against any religion. He assured that the CAA provides an opportunity for individuals who arrived in India without proper documentation, noting that the government will facilitate the citizenship application process for eligible individuals.
“…Even Muslims have the right to apply for citizenship…The doors have not been closed for anyone. This special act has been made as people have come without any documents…We will find a way for those who do not have documents but those who have the documents constitute more than 85%…There is no time limit. One can take time to apply, Government of India will call you for an interview as per the time available to you. The government will call you for the audit of the document and a face-to-face interview will be done…All those people who have entered India between 15th August 1947 and 31st December 2014 are welcome here…”
Read More: Manipur CM Urges Release of UNLF Cadres for Peace Talks